Illuminated sign



oct. 26,1926. .1,604,622

l. wElNsTIN ILLUMINATED SIGN `Fi1ed Nov. 1s, 1924 s sheets-sneer 1 x l l I y 1 i l I, I l l [3 md Wam fem Oct. 26 1926.

l. WEINSTEINA ILLUMINATED SIGN Filed NOV. 15, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A W I .M w m l w El timmy( Oct. 26 1926. 1,604,622

|. WElNsTElN ILLUMINATED SIGN Filed Nov. 15, 1924 s sheets-sheet s lvwe l ttor meZ. Weil/sia?! v attenant Patented oa. 26.1926.

" UbllTED STAFF@ ISBAELWEINSTEIN, F Gli-IICAGC). IIIIJINOIS.

ILLUMNATED SIGN.

.Application le November This invention relates to signs and relates particularly to illuminated Signs.

The invention seeks to decrease the energy necessary to fmaintain proper illumination of an electric sign, bymeans of a novel arrangement of reflectors within the casing of such a sign.

It is also an object ofthe invention to pro-I tion attains by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated `in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

I Figure 1 is a view,"partly in vertical sec- 2() invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-section view of the same, taken upon the line 2-2 of Figure 1.- Figure 3 is a sectional view on `line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing the mounting of tworeversely arranged reflector members upon a common support.

` Figure 4l is a detailsectional view, taken uponline l--Ll of Figure 1, showing oneof l the bulb-simulating members.

- Figure is a perspective view showing an alternative provision for mounting the reversely arranged reflectors.

Fig. 6 is a. cross section view taken upon the line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

\ Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing an alternative construction.

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8--8 of Fig. 7.

In these views, the reference character 1` designates a casing which, as shown, 1s

vformed of sheet metal butfmay be ofany suitable material. The front4 and back `walls of.said .casingfinay be provided, as is best fseen in Fig. 1, with windows 2 of glass or athelilre `upon whichsigns may be lettered, or said signs may be producedin some other well known manner. Upon the top and .bottomfofithe'casing y1therewf1thm rows of electric1bulbs 3 (or other light sources) areexmidway ybetweenathe. top `andbottom, two other -rows of lighting elements l are mounted in soclretsacarr-ied `by a 'longitudi-r M fnally extending conduit 5.497111. the vbottom of Il the casing andinits end .walls and front fand back` walls, openings 6 are formed to give These and various other objects the inven-A tion, of a sign embodying one form of the' tendedlongitudinally of the casing, and

15. 1924. Serial No. 750,073.

access when desired to the various lighting elements, said openings being normally closcdby suitable doors 7, hinged as indicated' at 8 or otherwise suitably and adjustably secured to the casing.

Between the bulbs 4l and each row of bulbs 3, there isarranged sheet metal reflector unit 9, 10 having `in cross-section the conventional Idiamond shape, as is bestv seen in Fig. 2. Thus, each member 9, 10 comprises an upper reflector 9 formed preferably by a single sheet of metal bent to the form of` an inverted vV and `further comprises". a lower V-shaped reflector 10. The two said reflectors are rigidly connected, preferably by securing the same to a common support which may extend'between said reflectors. 'lhus the adjacent edges'of the reflectors -c-on'iprising each unit' 9, 10 areV shown as 7 formed with horizontal flanges 11, which engage in keepers 12l formed yby bending toward each other the front and rear edges of two sheet metal plates 13, one superposed on the other and the two being rigidly connectedby rivets14 0r other'suitable means.

lt is preferred to provide lmeans for supporting the two reflector 'units 9, '10 in common and this same 'supporting means may also carry the conduit 5, so as to properly position the latter'andthe lighting elements Y l between the two said units. Thus at each end of said units 9, 10 a pair ofspaced metal bars 15 extend vertically, being rigidly secured at their extremities vto the top and bottom ofl thel casing, as is indicated at 16. The end porti-ons Vof theftwo plates 13 are upwardly and downwardly bent, as is indicated at 17 and are secured by rivets 18 or' the like to saidvertical bars. Each pair of'` endbar's 15 are connected by across rbar 19 arranged at a level with the vconduit 5 Aand the ends of said conduit are engaged with fittings 2O which are secured in any suitable manner to the cross bars' 19.

ln addition to the longitudinally extended reflector .units 9,10, it is vpreferred to ar-Y range within the casingl, in ithe'end portions thereof' vertically elongated reflectors 21.I which are -similar in form tothe reectors 9 and 10 but form a horizontal V; The bars which carry the units 9,10 may also carry the reflectors 21. Thus the diverged margins ofeach of the latter are flanged to- -ward the front and back of the casing and Ul are riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the outer faces of the bars 15. From said loof bars the walls ot each reflector 21 converge toward a vertical row ot light bulbs 22, there being one such row interiorly mounted upon each end wall of the casing.

From the preceding description it will be seen that the tour uprights 15 constitutes a support 'for all ot the retlector members as well as for the conduit 5, it being conveniently feasible to assemble said reflector members and said conduit in their proper relation uponsaid uprights, exteriorly of the casingrtlie completed assembly then being pro aerly positioned within said casing.

The light rays emanating 4from the rows of bulbs F22 will be divided by 'the adjacent reflectors 21, andwill be reilected torwardly and rearwardly by the divergent walls ot said reflectors. Similarly the light radiatupwardly` and downwardly from the bulbs 3 and i will encounter the divergent walls ot' the reflectors 9 and 10 and will also be reflected forwardly and rearwardly. By thus substantially eliminating any wasteful radiation from the lio'hting elements, the invention reduces the requisite number oit such elements to a minimum.

As va further economical feature, the invention provides members, which may be mounted upon the walls et a sign casing, similarly to light bulbs, said members being termed to simulate light bulbs but having no conducting filaments and being adapted 'for illumination by light rays passing therethrough rather than by the generation ot lighttherewithin. Referring now particularly to Fig. l, the reference character 23 designates a bulb-shaped member formed of glass or like transparent material, one end th-creolz being ot somewhat reduced diameter and beingformed with an unobstructed o iening. To said open end there is rigidly secured a tubular base member' EA which is screw-threaded or otherwise adapted for mounting upon some suitable support. Two

- such supports are provided in the disclosed invention, each consisting ot a rectangular ltrame of bar metal 25, said 'trames marginally engaging the front and baci; walls ol' the casing interiorly of the latter'. Each of said trames is formed with suitably spaced threaded openings 26, each preterably in line with one 01"' the bulbs 3, and each ot said openings is adapted to receive the threaded base 24 of one ol the 'false light bulbs `Thus said bulbs 23 Jform an orvnamental border about the front and rear with the closures 7 but also with sheetmetal eaves 27 secured to the casing above said closures projecting sufficiently to prevent in the end walls ot the casing.

access to said openings of water llowing down said walls during rain.

In the alternative construction illustrated in Figure 5, upper and lower inclined relectars 2 and 28 are engaged with a support-ing rod 29, tongues 30 upon said retlectors being rolled to term sleeves adapted to alternately embrace said rod,

In that form ot' the invention which is shown in Figures 7 andS, rows oi lighting elements 31 are mounted within the casing pon its top and bottom and two rows 32 ol such elements are car 1ied by a conduit 33 at a level substantially midway between the top and bottom, all as in the construction `hrst described. In the structure now being' described, however, the conduit 33 extends the -lull length ot the sign casing, its ends engaging fittings 3l detachably secured Vto i hingedly mounted closures 35 'for openings Through either of said opcnings,'tlie conduit after being detached trom the closures 35, may be removed together with its lighting elements The illustrated connection between the conduit and said closures is established by studs 37 arojectino from the fittings 34: through said. closures and engaged exteriorly oi" the closures by nuts 38.

Between the lighting elements 32 and each row of lighting elements 31 there is disposed a retlector unit 39, 40 differing from the units 9, 10 ot the first described construct-ion in that it extends the full length ot the. casing, the plates 41 supporting the unit being upwardly and downwardly bent at their ends as indicated at L1-2 and suitably secured to the end walls ot the casing.

It is a featurel of both of the described constructions'that the reflector members 9 and l0 or 39 and l() may be very readily assembled upon the plates 13 or 41. That is to say a slight decrease in the angle be.- tween the convergent walls ot any ot said reflector members will permit their marginal longitudinal flanges to be removed from the keepers of the supporting plates 13 or 41 and similarly said members may be engaged with said keepers by increasing the divergency of their walls.

What I claim is:

1. In an illuminated sign, a pair of spaced sign elements, two rows of light elements between said sign elements, a pair of reversely arranged il-shaped reflector members extending between and parallel to said rows, each formed from a sheet of metal, the diy verged edges of said members being adjacent, and acommon support for said members having quickdetachable sliding engagement with said edges. V-

2. In an illuminated sign, a casing, a 'row vof `lighting elements in eachend portion of the casing parallel to the end Walls thereof, a reflector member in each end portion of the casing having reflector faces converging toward the row of lighting elements in said end portion, spaced rows of lighting element-s extending lengthwise of the casing, and a reflector member between said spaced rows having reflecting faces converging toward each of said rows, and sign elements carried by said casing between which said lighting elements are disposed.

3. In an illuminated sign, a casing, and a unit reflector structure comprising a pair of reflectors adapted to be disposed within the end portions of the casing, spaced reflectors extending longitudinally ofthe casing, lighting means arranged between said spaced -reflectors, a common means for supporting said reflectors within the casing, and sign elements carried by the casing at opposite sides thereof.

4. In an illuminated sign, a casing, a pair of uprights mounted in theend portions of said casing, a reflector vertically extended upon each of said uprightshupon its outer side, lighting means operatively disposed with relation to said reflectors, a reflector tended between and 'carried by said uprights, lighting means co-acting with the last mentioned reflector, and a sign member carried by the casing and jointly illuminated by V- said lighting means and reflectors.

5. In an illuminated sign, a casing, a pair of uprights disposed in the end portions of said casing, a support extending between and mounted upon said uprights, lighting means carried by said support, and a pair of reflectors co-acting with said lighting means, respectvely thereabove and therebelow, and extending between and mounted upon said uprights, and a sign member carried by the casingl and illuminated by said reflectors and lighting means.

6. In an illuminated sign, a casing, a pair of sign members carried by said casing on opposite sides thereof, a row of lighting elements extended lengthwise within said casing, means co-acting with said elementsy to reflect the light thereof upon both of said sign members, lighting elements in the end portions of said casing, reflecting means within said end portions co-acting with said lighting means for further illuminating both of said sign members, and supporting means for both of said reflecting means insertable in and removable from said casing as a unit.

7. In an illuminated sign, a casing, sign members carried by said casing upon opposide sides thereof, a row of light elements within said casing, reflectors above and below said row of elements parallel therewith and facing both of said sign members, and a common support for said lighting elements and reflectors insertable in and removable from said casing as a unit.

8. In an illuminated sign, a casing, a sign member carried by said casing, uprights in the end portions of said casing, light ele-V ments and co-acting reflectors in each end portion of said casing, illuminating said sign element, one thereof being mounted upon Jthe upright in each of said ends, connections between said uprights adapting them for removal as a unit, and co-actingi4 lighting elements and reflectors mounted upon said connections and illuminating said sign member.

9. In an illuminated sign, a casing, a sign member carriedby said casing, a frame in the casing, a light source, and a co-acting reflector in each end of the casing, one thereof in each end being mounted upon the cor responding end of said frame and the other upon said casing, a lighting element, and a co-acting reflector disposed between the ends of the casing, one thereof carried by thel casing, and the other by said frame, said frame and said members carried thereby'being in sertable as a unit into the casing and into proper co-acting relation with said members carried by the casing. Y

In testimony whereof I sign this specication.

ISRAEL WEINSTEIN. 

